DNA discovery in yogurt shop murders sparks FBI standoff

[TexasTowelie]

AUSTIN -- In the spring of 2017, veteran Travis County prosecutor Efrain De La Fuente called Bob Ayers, the father of one of four girls brutally murdered at an Austin yogurt shop in 1991. He had exciting new information to share, a DNA discovery that he hoped could bring resolution to the nearly 30-year-old case.

After years of roadblocks, setbacks and dead ends, investigators finally had identified forensic evidence that might lead to the girls’ killer.

De La Fuente explained that an Austin police cold case detective had submitted a new kind of DNA profile called Y-STR into a searchable database. Although there was no name attached, the match could identify a possible killer’s male relatives and help police track down the perpetrator.

“It was a great day. We thought this was really going to break our case, and they were elated as well,” De La Fuente recalled.

Read more: https://stories.usatodaynetwork.com/yogurt-shop-murders-dna-fight/home/site/statesman.com/

[bobbieinok]

1. Fascinating, heartbreaking story. Recall reading about civil rights probs with this DNA type

Real problems with way it's collected

Also IIRC questions that DNA samples people submit for genealogy tests could be searched for DNA info in criminal cases.

[TexasTowelie]

2. I lived about a mile away from the yogurt site where the murders occurred.

I was also the tort liability claims statistician at the insurance department so I saw the reports after the insurance company settled the claims a few years later. The IRS also stepped into the process since they were trying to get their cut of the pie.